NEAH BAY — The death of a Tacoma man near Neah Bay on Sunday was confirmed to have been by drowning.
Marcus Eldred, 24, died of saltwater drowning, and the death was accidental, said Teresa Martin, Clallam County deputy coroner.
“It was tragic,” Martin said, adding that it was determined he had become tangled in kelp and was unable to reach the surface.
There were no other apparent contributing factors to his death, she said.
Snorkeling and spear-fishing
On Sunday, using kayaks as a diving base, Eldred and two friends were snorkeling and free-dive spear-fishing about 100 yards from shore in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, just west of the Neah Bay Harbor jetty.
At about 4:30 p.m., Eldred failed to surface from a dive. Another diver used a radio to call for help from the Neah Bay Coast Guard Station.
The Coast Guard began a search for the missing man with rescue boats and a helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles as his fellow divers searched underwater.
Waved down helicopter
One of the divers found Eldred entangled in a kelp bed 20 to 25 feet underwater, cut him free and waved down a Coast Guard helicopter for assistance.
Eldred was brought to the surface but was not responsive and never regained a pulse, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, which led the investigation into the death.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
